Maine Coons

History

Maine Coons, like American Shorthairs, are considered native to America because they’ve been on this continent since the colonial days, and perhaps longer. How they got here in the first place and where their progenitors came from, however, is anyone’s guess.

Many legends exist about the origin of the breed (some more believable than others), but hard proof is as elusive.

One story alleges that the breed is a raccoon/domestic cat hybrid, thus the name Maine Coon. Even though both raccoons and Maine Coons have lush, long tails and the tendency to dunk their food into their drinking water, such a union is biologically impossible.

Another story, unlikely but at least possible, holds that the Maine Coon was produced by bobcat/domestic cat trysts, which would explain the ear and toe tufts and the impressive size of the breed. A more imaginative story claims that Maine Coons are descendants of longhaired cats belonging to Marie Antoinette. Last, but not least, is the tale of a sea captain named Coon who, in the 1700s, brought longhaired cats with him on his excursions to America’s northeastern coast. Allegedly, these longhaired buccaneers mixed with the local population while on shore leave.

This last story has at least a ring of truth. Seafarers who used cats to control rodent populations on their sailing ships probably brought some longhaired cats with them to the New World. Some of the cats went ashore when they reached the northeastern coast and established themselves on the farms and in the barns of the early settlers. Given Maine’s severe climate, those initial years must have been tough on cat and human alike. Only the breed’s strongest and most adaptable survived. Through natural selection, the Maine Coon developed into a large, rugged cat with a dense, water-resistant coat and a hardy constitution.

Regardless of where the breed came from, the Maine Coon was one of the first breeds to be recognized by the late nineteenth-century cat fancy, and became an early favorite. However, in the early 1900s, as new and more exotic breeds were brought into the country, Maine Coons were abandoned for Persians, Angoras, and others. By 1950, the breed had all but vanished and in fact was declared extinct in the 1950s.

About

Eyes are large, round, expressive, wide set and slightly oblique. The most common eye colors are green, gold, green-gold, or copper. White or bi-color Maine Coons sometimes have blue eyes. Paws are large, round, and tufted. Ears are large, tufted. The tail is long and generally fluffy. They have over-sized paws and some original Maine Coons were polydactyl (had extra toes). Their descendants can also be polydactyl, although polydactyl Maine Coons are no longer common.﻿

Many non-polydactyl Maine Coons have a polydactyl member of their genetic lines in their pedigrees, and breeding these polydactyl cats is still fully accepted and recognized as purebred worldwide. They can be registered with any official cat association. They can be shown in TICA. When looking over a Pedigree, you can see all the polydactyl Maine Coons in the pedigree because they will have a P. somewhere in the name. ﻿

Maine Coons have a variety of meows, chirps and trills at their disposal. When they meow, they often have a soft, tiny voice that is incongruous with their large size.

Maine Coons usually have muscular, broad chests and long rectangular bodies with long, flowing, silky fur, often with a front ruff. Males average 15-17 pounds, with some reaching 25 pounds or more, and females average 12 pounds. They may not reach full size until they are about four years old. Maine Coons come in just about every cat color and pattern (about 75 altogether) — solid, tabby, red or orange, cream, white, buff, black, silver, brown, multi-colored, tortoiseshell or calico.